Every four years, people all over the world turn their eyes, ears, and hearts toward the most exciting sports competition on the planet: The World Cup. We Came to Win tells the stories behind the tournament’s most memorable moments. Like, how did one player become a God, and a villain, after breaking the rules? How did the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup save English soccer from falling apart? And how did one player turn a free-kick into an act of protest?
This series from Gimlet Media is an homage to the triumph and heartbreak, victory and defeat that we all experience from soccer (or football, or futbol, or whatever you call it). And it reminds us that so much of what we love about the beautiful game happens off the pitch.

3. Zaire ‘74: The Most Misunderstood Team in History

In 1974, the first all-black team competed at the World Cup: the national team of Zaire, now known as D.R. Congo. They were remembered for one of the strangest plays in World Cup history: a botched free kick that led some commentators to speculate that the African team didn't understand the basic rules of the game. But behind Zaire’s kick is a lesser-known story of nationhood, colonialism, and government corruption.

CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Ngofeen Mputubwele, Emma Morgenstern, and Emily Ulbricht with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. Original Congolese music by Nkumu Katalay. Additional scoring, sound design, and mixing by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.